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This Year In Pictures 2016

2016 was no sleeping giant. From elections and referendums to sporting triumphs; sad passings to landmark birthdays; it was a year that proved to be both shocking and celebratory, but in both cases reflective. Here, we round up a selection of the major talking points in pictorial form.

This year, there was only one name everyone was interested in talking about when it came to the Academy Awards, and it was he of Titanic fame (and following) - Leonardo DiCaprio. It was fifth time lucky for the American star who finally won the Best Actor Oscar for his lead role in The Revenant. He celebrated his win with Best Actress winner Brie Larson (for Room); Best Supporting Actress winner Alicia Vikander (for The Danish Girl); and Best Supporting Actor winner Mark Rylance (for Bridge of Spies).

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Comings And Goings

2016 was the year that tied up loose ends as far as creative directors were concerned. After high-profile exits from Lanvin and Dior in the autumn of 2015, Bouchra Jarrar was appointed Alber Elbaz's replacement and Valentino's Maria Grazia Chiuri became Raf Simons's successor respectively. Elsewhere, Hedi Slimane confirmed what had long been rumoured and parted ways with Saint Laurent, only to be immediately replaced by Anthony Vaccarello, while Peter Dundas spilt with Roberto Cavalli after less than 18 months in the role. Neither Dundas's next move, nor the identity of his successor, have been revealed as yet.

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Brexit

In a referendum that was as divisive as it was seminal, 51.9 per cent of the UK voted to no longer be a part of the European Union, resulting in a win for the Leave Campaign and motions set in place to invoke Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, the formal procedure for withdrawing. The result proved to be the catalyst for prime minister David Cameron - who was pro staying in the EU - to resign with immediate effect. Standing outside 10 Downing Street - his home since 2010 - with his wife, Samantha, and children Arthur, Nancy, and Florence, Cameron told the world: "I was clear in my belief that the UK is better, safer and stronger in the European Union... But the British people have made a very clear decision of the new path and I think the country needs fresh leadership to do that."

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New Beginnings

In the wake of David Cameron's resignation, the conservative party embarked on a highly publicised effort to choose a new leader for the party and, in turn, the country. Michael Gove, Liam Fox, Stephen Crabb, and Andrea Leadsom all threw their hats into the ring, but it was home secretary Theresa May who won the top job. May, who was pro staying in the EU throughout the referendum campaign period, assured the electorate that despite her previous position she would honour the decision of the country. "During this campaign, my case has been based on three things," she said. "First, the need for strong, proven leadership to steer us through uncertain economic times. The need, of course, to negotiate the best deal for Britain in leaving the EU; and to forge a new role for ourselves in the world. Brexit means Brexit and we're going to make a success of it."

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See Now, Buy Now

In a nutshell, it was the year that turned the traditional fashion calendar on its head, as the new see-now, buy-now model started to take shape with major players including Tom Ford, Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren all opting for the new format. On home turf, Topshop Unique and Burberry were the first big British brands to adapt to the model, with the latter transforming an old warehouse in London's Soho into Maker's House where it showed its womenswear and menswear together for the first time in what will, moving forward, be known as "the September show". The governing body of Paris Fashion Week, however, expressly said that participants of its schedule would not be conforming to the model, and would stick to the traditional autumn/winter shows in February and spring/summer in September. 2017 looks set to continue the conversation.

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The American Election

After securing their respective parties' presidential nominations, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton embarked on campaigns that came to be defined by their confrontational manner and which would ultimately end in Trump being voted the 45th president of the United States of America. Both nominees' campaigns were marred with controversy: Clinton was plagued with accusations of corruption concerning her using her personal email system for professional correspondence during her tenure as secretary of state, something which Trump's team seized upon; while Trump was at the centre of sexual-abuse accusations, and attracted international criticism for his proposals to build a wall between Mexico and America and make Mexico pay for it, among several other topics. The result, as it was close, came down to the wire, before Trump secured the 270 electoral college votes required to claim victory.

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Happy Birthday To Us

It was the year that saw British Vogue celebrate its 100th birthday, and the celebrations did not disappoint. In February, the record-breaking National Portrait Gallery's Vogue 100: A Century of Style exhibition opened its doors to the public; in May, the Vogue Festival saw fashion favourites including Domenico Dolce, Stefano Gabbana, Kim Kardashian West, Grace Coddington and Isabel Marant take part in a weekend worth of talks, discussions and activities; while the glitzy Vogue 100 Gala followed the same month. The Duchess of Cambridge was unveiled as our centenary cover star, making her British Vogue debut for the occasion; in September, Vogue: Voice of a Century - a limited-edition tome of 1,916 numbered and signed copies celebrating the photographs, illustrations, interior spreads, features, covers and contributors from 10 decades worth of issues - was published; the BBC 2 documentary, Absolutely Fashion, was aired the same month; and in November, editor-in-chief Alexandra Shulman released her memoir, Inside Vogue: A Diary Of My 100th Year, winning rave reviews.

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London Elects

In May, Labour party member Sadiq Khan beat Conservative Zac Goldsmith at the polls to become the new mayor of London. The South London-born politician took 44.2 per cent of the capital's vote, and told the electorate in his victory speech: "I promise to always be a mayor for all Londoners. To work hard to make life better for every Londoner, regardless of your background, and to do everything in my power to ensure you get the opportunities that our incredible city gave to me."

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In Memory

The fashion industry lost some leading creative talents this year. Legendary street-style photographer Bill Cunningham passed away in June, leaving behind an extensive catalogue of iconic images documenting fashion trends over the last century; Sonia Rykiel, the doyenne of Parisian style, died in August after a long battle with Parkinson's disease; designer Richard Nicoll passed away suddenly from a heart attack in October, leaving the London fashion community, and the wider industry, in shock; while just days before Christmas, the long-serving editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia, Franca Sozzani, died a year after being diagnosed with cancer. Their innovation, creativity and contribution to the fashion industry will remain their enduring legacy.

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Terror Strikes Nice

The world condemned the terror attack witnessed on the 14 July in Nice as crowds celebrating Bastille Day on the promenade were deliberately targeted by a 19-tonne cargo truck which was driven into hundreds of people. French president François Hollande extended the country's state of emergency (which had been declared in November 2015 after Paris was also attacked) for a further three months. "If, as we fear, this was a terrorist attack, then we must redouble our efforts to defeat these brutal murderers who want to destroy our way of life," said PM Theresa May the morning after the attack. "We must work with France and our partners around the world to stand up for our values and for our freedom."

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Andy Reigns Supreme

In what was arguably Andy Murray's most momentous year to date, the tennis player finished it off ranked world number one. Prior to that however, he became the first man to win the Queen's Club title five times; won the Wimbledon Men's Singles final; picked up a gold medal at the Rio Olympics; and became a first-time-father to Sophia Olivia with his wife, Kim.

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In Memory

With no previous reportage of illness, the passing of musical legends David Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen and George Michael this year shocked the world. Each known for the incalculable impact they had on the music industry, their writings and recordings were played by legions of old and new fans all over the world in their memory. Also this year, we mourned the unexpected deaths of actor Alan Rickman, architect Zaha Hadid and esteemed restaurant critic AA Gill, all of whom made an indelible imprint and impression on those they touched with their skill, wit and wisdom.

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Olympic Action

While the dangerous Zika virus threatened to reduce the number of guests and athletes at the Rio Olympic Games, more than 11,000 athletes from 205 National Olympic Committees - including first time entrants Kosovo, South Sudan, and the Refugee Olympic Team - took part in the 31st Olympiad. The USA were the overall winners with 46 medals, Great Britain came second with 27 medals, and China came third with 26 medals.

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The European Immigration Crisis

While the current European immigration crisis is deemed to have started in 2015, 2016 saw it produce devastating consequences. Images continued to be beamed around the world of refugees, asylum seekers and, as widely reported, many economic migrants, attempting to make their way by boat to Europe, as well as overland through the south east of the continent. The year ends with sobering statistics: there were nearly half a million asylum applications in Europe in January to May alone, and this year at least 3,800 people have died while attempting to reach land making 2016 the deadliest year on record in the Mediterranean Sea.

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Queen Elizabeth II At 90

The Queen rung in her 90th birthday in style this year, with a series of events nationwide. While her actual birthday was on April 21, charity galas, military parades, and street parties took place all over the UK during the month of June (when the reigning always celebrates their official birthday). The enduring image from the series of events comes from when she gathered with her family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to salute an RAF flypast in her honour. Also this year, after 64 years, she became Britain’s longest-serving monarch, surpassing the reign of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.

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Champions At Last

When Portugal finally won the European Championships for the first time in the country's history this summer, the players' visible elation was understandable. The last four Euros had seen the team come close - as quarter-finalists, two-time semi-finalists, and even runners-up - but being pitted against the on-form hosts, France, in the final this time around led many commentators to speculate that they may miss out again. Losing their captain and key player, Ronaldo, in the first half was distressing to fans - and no less so to the player himself, who willed the team on from the sidelines with an enthusiasm unmatched by any coach. In the dying minutes of extra time, he got his wish as an Eder goal sent the trophy home to Lisbon at last.

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Brangelina Split

Among all of the celebrity stories that came to light this year, arguably the most surprising was the separation of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. While tabloid rumour mills had been peddling the news for years, no one quite believed it, but the couple of 12 years confirmed their split through their publicists in September. A bitter aftermath ensued between the two, as Pitt was investigated by the FBI over child-abuse claims concerning an alleged confrontation between him and his eldest child Maddox. All investigations have since been dropped, and the pair enter 2017 yet to agree on the custody status concerning their children Maddox, Pax, Shiloh, Zahara, Knox, and Vivienne. Another high-profile celebrity split this year, that also became acrimonious, was that of Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. 2016 came to a close with the pair still embroiled in legal proceedings.

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The Royal Tour

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge delighted fans around the world as they embarked on their first royal tour with their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte to Canada. While the children were only with their parents publicly for three events, the pictures that were taken of the toddlers playing with balloons, refusing to shake the Canadian prime minister's hand, and pressing their nose against aeroplane windows (we're looking at you Prince George) provided endless entertainment and gave the first glimpse of the young royals' playful personalities.

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Space Man

In January, astronaut Major Tim Peake embarked on a six-month space voyage, becoming the first UK astronaut to conduct a spacewalk. During his 186-day mission, he also remotely steered a robot on Earth, ran the London Marathon, and made 3,000 orbits of Earth, taking the total distance he covered while in space to 125 million km. The married father-of-two landed safely back to earth on June 18, telling reporters that the return journey was "the best ride I've been on ever", adding, "The smells of Earth are just so strong."

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The Battle of Aleppo

The fiercest, most intense fighting in Aleppo made headlines all over the world this year. Images of civilians caught in the crossfire between the Syrian government and the opposing rebels resulted in the humanitarian crisis reaching breaking point. Charities and organisations rallied to send aid to groups on the ground who were deployed to rescue the wounded and unaccompanied children. Donations are being accepted by The White Helmets, Unicef, Oxfam, and Save The Children, among others.

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The Fashion Awards

The British Fashion Council amplified its efforts for the Fashion Awards (which this year dropped the "British"). The event, which was held at the Royal Albert Hall, was on Met Ball scale, with 4,000 people in attendance. Awards-wise Vetements wunderkind Demna Gvasalia stole the show, picking up two awards on the night, one for International Urban Luxury Brand alongside his brother Gurum for the label they established in 2014, and another for International Ready-To-Wear Designer, for his role as creative director of Balenciaga.